OTP Challenge
by Ashley Honeycutt
Summary: A series of oneshots for the OTP challenge. Will update throughout the month! The more I work on this the more I see that a lot of these will be at least a little AU. I'll try to make a note if anything particularly huge is happening but I try to follow canon for the most part.
1. Chapter 1

It was probably the first really normal thing he had done once the long procession of funerals had ended. His muggle clothes were in tatters from ten straight months of camping and at a certain point, enough had to be enough. The trip to muggle London would be as productive as possible. There were certain benefits of being a muggle, and technology was a big one. Ron and Ginny seemed confused by the plan, but Hermione had seen the brilliance of the whole thing. Owls had a place in the world, but the instantaneous nature of texting seemed even better. They wouldn't work everywhere in the magical world but it would make contacting each other when they were all living apart easier. Harry's flat was ready and tonight was his last night at the Weasley's, Hermione was moving back home to her parents until the summer was over.

Three shops later Harry was weighed down by a handful of shirts, a couple pairs of pants, and four smart phones. He wasn't quite sure when phones had become so smart, but he was sure that they had become smarter than he was. Not for the first time, Harry was thankful for Hermione's seemingly never-ending knowledge. She most certainly would be able to explain all the features that the salesman prattled on about. He never seemed to notice that Harry couldn't care less about the features, Harry just needed four phones.

Mrs. Weasley didn't converse with anyone, but she seemed to keep up a constant stream of cooking. Food no one ate filled the table at every point. Muffins, biscuits, cakes, pies, roasts, vegetables, every plausible food item that could be cooked seemed to appear at any given point. Maybe that's how she was coping, but everyone was worried about her. George never left his room, and Mr. Weasley spent most his time in the shed, tinkering. The battle had ended a little over a month ago and people were coping the best they could.

Dinner had been a strange, but delicious, combination of roast, potatoes, eggs, fruit tart, and pasta. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had all eaten together, everyone else was back in their own home or in their own rooms. Meals especially seemed to be a somber occasion, but tonight at least had the silver lining of something to look forward to after their last meal all living together.

The foursome retired to the living room, preparing for their eminent separation. Hermione was the most organized, immediately unboxing four pre-charged cell phones and organizing paperwork and cords into piles. Ron and Ginny started a game of wizard's chess, less interested in phones than the others. While he wouldn't ever admit it, Harry spent the evening watching Ginny. They had spent the night after the battle discussing what they had each done while Harry was on the run, discussing their relationship, but no conclusion had really been reached. Harry, trying to maintain at least the most basic level of respect didn't want to broach the subject again. But he couldn't keep himself from looking at her, watching to make sure she was okay. The grief was evident in everything does, all motions she made seemed riddled with pain. She was alive though, and while Harry would have given anything to take away her sadness, he was sickeningly grateful that it wasn't her who had died.

"Alright, I've got them all set up with each other's numbers. Harry's is the black one," Hermione's statement was punctuated by handing Harry a black phone. "Ron is silver," she stretched her arm out as Ron and Ginny approached them. Harry sat on the couch, and Ginny sat down on the floor in front of Hermione, next to Harry's knees. "Ginny's is gold, and mine's pink!" Sliding down on the floor, Harry glanced over at Ginny. She held the phone gingerly, as though she was uncertain what it would do.

Ron and Hermione sat together, heads bent, laughing at something Hermione was trying to explain. While happy for his friends, Harry was jealous of the ease between the two of them. Ever since the battle there was no question, they were a pair. They had broken up the trio and left a couple and a singleton. They lived in absolute certainty, meanwhile Harry merely existed in limbo.

"So, what do I do with this? This was your brilliant idea wasn't it? Gotta follow through Potter," she said it was an air of teasing that gave Harry a mild hope that they would be happy again someday.

"Oh, yeah. Okay. So, um, just push on that little round button on the front. So now you just have to drag your finger across the screen, like a swipe," Harry was certain of absolutely nothing in life except that he was doing a very poor job of explaining how to use a phone.

"Agh! What's it doing?" Ginny shrieked and threw the phone down in front of her.

"It's fine, you just turned on the front facing camera," he couldn't help but snicker at her reaction to seeing her reflection in the camera. "Here, see?" Harry held the phone up in front of Ginny and leaned in so they were both in the frame.

"And you can take a picture like that?"

"Yeah, just push this button on the side."

Ginny reached up and pressed the little button and a shutter sound emitted from the phone, capturing a frame of the pair looking at each other.

It wasn't the best picture, but it was the only picture of the two of them together that existed. It was priceless.


	2. Chapter 2

They didn't like to go out in public much. Ginny's quidditch career had taken off and now the two of them would be mobbed constantly by well-wishers and requests for autographs. Harry hated the attention for himself, but he adored everyone that approached Ginny to tell her how much they loved to watch her play. As the years went on people started to care a little less about Harry and a little more about Ginny. The day Harry realized that he could have sung to the stars, he was so happy. People realized how special she was, how extraordinarily perfect she was. He had known for years, almost a decade even, that she was more than a pretty girl. More than a good quidditch player. More than "Harry Potter's girlfriend". With every year that passed, other people started to see that too. How could he not cherish every little girl that ran up to Ginny, telling her they wanted to just be like her?

"I want to venture out today! Today, you and I are leaving this flat. We are going out, into the public, and having a nice afternoon together," Ginny said this with such authority Harry was reminded a little of Mrs. Weasley.

"Okay, I'll get ready and we'll head out" Harry croaked. Ginny had a match yesterday and as usual, Harry's voice was hoarse for cheering as loudly as he could. She would never admit it, and in fact she would deny it vhelmently if questioned, but she loved how enthusiastic he was.

Two hours later they walked hand in hand through muggle London, avoiding the wizarding world until they had specific reasons to be there. Shop after shop had beautiful window displays, all advertising the changing seasons. There was a constant light drizzle the entire time, but it was nice to be outside and breathe in the fresh air. They had stopped in several shops looking at nothing in particular but enjoyed the chance to meander at their own pace. Eventually, Harry excused himself from a bookstore where Ginny admired leather bound copies of classic novels and plays.

"Where did you go off to?" Ginny asked. Harry had found her looking through a stack of children's books, picking out a few for their niece. "What is that?" She asked, gesturing to the foam cup in his hand.

"It's a milkshake. My throat hurts from screaming at Ireland for that shoddy pass they made and got away with. The injustice still haunts me."

"Yes, well, we still won, remember?"

"Of course I remember! Weasley shoots for a final point just as Jameson catches the snitch, 160 points scored in just under a minute and enough to take the lead by ten," he recited fondly. It was an excellent match, and a perfect move on Ginny's part. He always thought that her dual skill as a seeker and chaser made her an even more adept player, able to understand the next move the seeker would make.

"I thought I heard something about that. That Weasley girl, excellent chaser. Best ever maybe!" She was cheeky, alright. She wasn't wrong though.

"Let's go get something to eat," Harry's voice seemed to be returning and his throat hurt a little less. He carried the children's books to the counter and gave the store owner several pounds. Muggle money still confused Ginny no matter how many times Harry had tried to explain it.

"What flavor is this, anyways?" She took the cup from his hand without waiting for an answer and took a drink.

"You better be careful about where you do your child related shopping otherwise the headline in tomorrow's Prophet will be something to do with you being pregnant" he warned.

Ginny was silent for a beat too long and her cheeks were a tinge redder than they should have been for a cool afternoon. Harry knew every shade of red on her face, but this color eluded him. She took another drink, perhaps to cover for the slightly too long break in conversation.

"Yes, well."


End file.
